Adverse Childhood Experiences and Burnout in Athletic Trainers: An Exploratory Study.

CONTEXT: Burnout, a state of physical or emotional exhaustion, is a concern within athletic training, as between 17% and 40% of athletic trainers (ATs) report high levels of burnout. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked with higher levels of burnout in other health professions. OBJECTIVE: To compare burnout with ACEs in ATs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Web-based survey. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: One thousand ATs were selected at random to participate in the study. Of these, 78 ATs started the survey, and 75 ATs completed it. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Burnout, as measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) overall and subscale scores, was compared across groups based on the number of adverse experiences as measured by the ACEs survey. Multiple analysis of variance tests were used to determine the association between ACEs score and overall, personal, work-related, and patient-related burnout. RESULTS: At least 1 adverse experience was reported by 37 (49.33%) participants. Those with ≥4 ACEs had higher odds of describing overall, personal, and work-related burnout than those with 0 to 3 ACEs. Moderate burnout (CBI score ≥ 50.00) was noted in 27 (36.00%, overall), 44 (58.67%, personal), 34 (45.3%, work related), and 15 (20.00%, patient related) ATs. Participants with 4 ACEs had higher overall burnout (67.11 ± 19.89; F6,68 = 2.59, P = .03) than those with 0 (40.53 ± 17.12, P = .04), 1 (38.42 ± 20.99, P = .04), or 7 (19.08 ± 12.09, P = .03) ACEs. The same pattern existed with personal burnout, as participants with 4 ACEs (76.67 ± 17.33) had higher scores (F6,68 = 3.40, P = .00) than those with 0 (46.60 ± 17.49, P = .02), 1 (42.78 ± 21.48, P = .01), or 7 (27.08 ± 20.62, P = .03) ACEs. No other differences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Between 20.00% and 58.67% of ATs surveyed reported some form of burnout. Higher levels of overall and personal burnout were found in those with 4 ACEs. Although we expected to see lower levels of burnout in those with fewer ACEs, it was surprising that those with 7 ACEs had some of the lowest CBI scores. Athletic trainers with childhood trauma may find it beneficial to engage in self-regulation exercises to reduce or limit triggers and burnout. Additionally, employers should explore developing trauma-informed workplaces to better support employees.

Perceptions of Sexual Misconduct and the Overall Role of Peer Athletic Training Students, Athletes, Preceptors, and Coaches.

Sexual misconduct in society is found throughout the literature. In healthcare, there is a paucity of research in regard to the understanding of what constitutes sexual misconduct, especially when examining the thoughts of students who are required to be a part of a clinical rotation. The purpose of this study was to examine athletic training students' perceptions of sexual harassment and to determine whether role (i.e., peer student, athlete, preceptor, coach) influenced their determination of what constitutes sexual harassment. A 21-item scenario questionnaire was sent to the 460 professional and post-professional Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) program directors with a link to forward to the current students. The scenarios were used to understand the students' level of where an action by a peer athletic training student, athlete, preceptor, or coach might fall on the sexual misconduct continuum. Results demonstrated that athletic training students tended to be more for-giving toward peers or athletes than preceptors or coaches. In order for clinical students to feel safe in their rotations, a greater understanding of what constitutes sexual misconduct must occur.

Marching Band Camp Injury Rates at the Collegiate Level.

AIMS: Marching band camp injuries were recorded over the course of 1 week (10 field practices) to determine injury rate for preseason. METHODS: Members were instructed to self-report any type of injury that occurred. The collected data were coded and analyzed for total injuries and injuries per section. The injury counts, along with total practices and band members per section, were used to calculate injury rate per 1,000 exposures for total injury and injury per section. RESULTS: There were a total of 191 injuries reported in 1,540 practice exposures. The overall injury rate was 124.03/1,000 exposures. The instrument with the highest injury rate was the mellophone (220.0/1,000 exposures), followed by the trombone (190.0/1,000 exposures), and percussion (184.62/ 1,000 exposures). The instrument with the lowest injury rate was the clarinet (43.75/1,000 exposures). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate that marching band is a strenuous activity and deserves to be considered an area of emerging practice for athletic trainers and other health care professionals.